Doha: Cypriot authorities have announced the recovery of seven bodies and the rescue of two people after a boat carrying 20 illegal migrants sank off the eastern coast of the island. Media reported that a large-scale search operation involving naval helicopters and police patrol boats is underway to find survivors.
According to Qatar News Agency, the Joint Rescue Coordination Center in Larnaca launched a search and rescue operation at sea. It said in a statement that the migrant boat capsized 30 nautical miles (55 kilometers) southeast of Cape Greco, in the far southeast of the island. The center added that the incident occurred within Cyprus' search and rescue zone but outside its territorial waters.
In recent years, Cyprus has recorded an increase in the number of illegal migrants by sea. The Cypriot Interior Ministry announced last month that asylum applications fell by 69 percent between 2022 and 2024, and that the arrival of migrants by sea stopped in May 2024, thanks to tightened immigration policies.